Chapter 117: Chapter 117: She Has a Boyfriend
Anne Sutton asked, "You’re a friend of Ethan Linden’s?"
Justin Shields nodded. "Yes, we were junior high classmates."
"..."
Anne Sutton was a little surprised. She glanced at Ethan, not expecting him to know Justin Shields.
Anne Sutton said, "Well, you two can chat. I’m a bit tired, so I’m going to get some rest."
After she went upstairs, Nathan Fawcett finally asked, "You know her?"
Justin Shields said, "My mother and her mother used to be very good friends. I just visited her mother in the hospital today."
Nathan Fawcett fell silent upon hearing this.
Justin Shields asked, "Are you over here this time because of her?"
He knew that Ethan Linden had left long ago. The man sitting across from him was, in fact, Nathan Fawcett.
Because of Stella Shields, the two of them had kept in touch over the past few years.
To avoid blowing Nathan’s cover, he had no choice but to continue treating him as his old classmate.
But after getting to know Nathan Fawcett, they got along quite well—no worse than his previous relationship with Ethan Linden.
Now that Stella Shields was in the entertainment industry, Nathan Fawcett would occasionally arrange resources for Justin’s sister. Over time, the two men naturally became friends.
Nathan Fawcett said, "You’re overthinking it!"
Of course, he wouldn’t admit that he had come for Anne Sutton.
He even knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t get back together with Anne Sutton in the future.
He was Ethan Linden now. Things between him and Anne Sutton were long over.
Justin Shields said, "But you two knew each other before. You don’t have any feelings for her at all?"
Justin Shields’s probing made Nathan Fawcett very uncomfortable. "Of course not. Why are you asking this?"
Justin Shields smiled. "In that case, I’m relieved."
"Relieved about what?" Nathan Fawcett was confused.
Justin Shields said, "My mother introduced me to Anne, hoping we’d get together. I was a bit hesitant before, but since it’s over between you and her, I can rest easy."
Nathan Fawcett: "...You want to be with her?"
Justin Shields glanced at Nathan Fawcett’s slightly agitated expression and said, "What, is that not allowed?"
Nathan Fawcett realized he was losing his composure over this and forced himself to calm down.
’Just great!’
’This woman certainly works fast!’
’She hasn’t even sorted things out with Charles Prescott, and now she’s hooking up with Justin Shields!’
Nathan Fawcett said, "I’m just reminding you, she’s not a good woman! In her eyes, men are just tools for her to use. You think she’d actually like you?"
"That’s different," Justin Shields said. "What if I’m just her type? Right?"
He looked at Nathan Fawcett, knowing that his sister, Stella, had stayed by Nathan’s side all these years because she was interested in him.
If possible, he naturally hoped Stella could get her wish and find someone to take care of her.
As for Anne Sutton, if he got together with her, Stella’s chances would be better.
Besides, his mother liked Anne Sutton anyway.
Anne Sutton took a shower, and when she came out, she saw Nathan Fawcett in her room.
He was sitting in the armchair by the window, his back to the world outside.
When Anne Sutton had first come to his place all those years ago, he had been sitting right in front of this window.
Seeing Ethan sitting there now, she felt a sense of disorientation. Reality and memory overlapped, and for a moment, she seemed to forget that the man before her wasn’t Nathan Fawcett, but just Ethan Linden.
’But why is he here today?’
For the past two days, Anne Sutton had been worried that he would come to her room—she had even locked the door—but he hadn’t shown up at all.
Now that he had suddenly appeared here, her heart began to pound uneasily.
Anne Sutton asked, "What are you doing here?"
Nathan Fawcett looked up at her. She had just gotten out of the shower, and her hair was still wet.
She was holding a towel and drying her hair.
The sight of her, fresh from the shower, made his heart skip a beat.
But the next second, the thought that she might have a marriage arrangement with Justin Shields made Nathan Fawcett’s blood boil.
He said sarcastically, "You and Justin Shields seem to be getting along well! I hear your mother is very pleased with the idea of him becoming the Sutton family’s son-in-law."
He remembered how the Sutton family had despised him when he was with Anne Sutton. And now? Nothing was even set in stone with Justin Shields, yet Mrs. Sutton had already taken a liking to him.
When Anne Sutton heard him, she didn’t feel the need to clarify. She hadn’t really thought much about Justin Shields and knew he probably wouldn’t be interested in her anyway.
Her mother was right. It was a good thing for her to have a potential partner. Not only would it give Charles Prescott no reason to bother her anymore, but the same applied to the man standing before her now.
After all, she couldn’t seriously expect to get involved with this man, who was her brother-in-law!
Even Charles Prescott looked down on her with utter disdain.
’Let alone Ethan Linden!’
’The roles of brother-in-law and sister-in-law stood between them. They were an impossible match from the start.’
Anne Sutton said, "You found out about that so quickly! Did Justin tell you?"
Since Justin Shields’s mother called him that, both Anne Sutton and Mrs. Sutton followed suit and used his nickname.
"’Justin’?" Nathan Fawcett repeated. "Sounds pretty intimate!"
’Anyone who knew the truth would know this was their first time meeting!’
’Anyone who didn’t would think they’d known each other for ages!’
Anne Sutton looked at Nathan Fawcett, sensing that he was getting angry again. "Isn’t that what everyone calls him? What, are you upset?"
His temper flared up so inexplicably.
Anne Sutton couldn’t keep up with his mood swings.
"Upset? Why would I be upset? If you’re getting married, I couldn’t be happier. I’m just reminding you, do you really think Justin Shields would be interested in you? He could find plenty of women with better prospects. Why you? Is it just because your mother and his mother are friends?"
Although she knew he was telling the truth, hearing Nathan Fawcett say it out loud still made her a little sad.
She replied, "You’re right. You know my prospects aren’t that great. So if someone is willing to be with me now, even if it’s just because of my mother’s connections, I should be grateful. Justin is a decent guy, and he’s your friend. If we really do get together, you’ll be happy for me, right?"
"..." Nathan Fawcett had only said those things because he was angry!
He just wanted to tell her that she and Justin Shields were an impossible match, to stop her from getting any wild ideas, but now...
She had actually started putting herself down.
And when she spoke, it seemed like she genuinely believed it. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The sight of it made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
After all, tearing her down wasn’t his intention.
He said, "Didn’t you say you didn’t want to get married? What was all that about only having Nathan in your heart? What, now you see a man with good prospects and your heart is swayed?"
Anne Sutton wasn’t actually smitten with Justin Shields.
But she...
...was terrified of getting involved with the man in front of her.
They were living together, and he just had to have the exact same face as Nathan Fawcett.
It forced her to brainwash herself every time she saw him: ’He’s not Nathan, he’s not Nathan!’